Al-Qaradawi Invokes Mercy Upon the Pope

(In an al-Jazeerah program back in 2005 after the death of the pope, al-Qaradawi had the following to say.)

It has been our habit on this program to speak about the great scholars of the Muslims when they left this world to the abode of the hereafter, but today we are not upon this habit, we are speaking about a great figure, but not a great figure from the great Muslim figures, but he is a great figure from the great figures of the Christians (Masee7iyyah), and he is the chief bishop, pope John Paul II, pope of the Vatican and the catholic church, and the most referred to person in the Christian religion.

He had passed away yesterday, and the world had spread the news of this death, and it is our right, no our incumbent duty to send our condolences to the Christian nation and to the Christian bishops in the Vatican and those not in the Vatican who are in other churches around the world, and some of them are our friends, so that we can meet them in more conferences and more seminars and more dialogue, we send to these people our condolences for the death of this chief bishop who the Christians had freely chosen, we Muslims dream of having a likeness to this that will make it possible for the (Muslim) scholars of the Ummah to choose their High Shaykh or their High Imaam freely, and not by the specifying of one by a state from any of the states, or a government from the governments.

We send our condolences for this pope who had stands for which he is remembered and thanked, it is possible that some Muslims say he did not make excuses for the crusader wars and what transpired in it of the tragedies to the Muslims like how he makes excuses for the Jews, and some blame him for some things, but the general people does not do that, and he was sincere and vigorous in spreading his religion despite his old age. And he travelled the whole world and visited lands, and amongst those lands was the Muslim lands, and he was sincere for his religion, and he was amongst the most vigorous is spreading his call (da’wah), and (calling) for bringing faith (Eemaan) in his message (risaalah), and he had political stands which will be written down amongst his good deeds, like his stand against the wars in general.

He was a man, a peaceful man, and a peaceful caller (daa’ee), and he stood against the Iraq war and against the building of the Israeli wall in the land of the Palestinians and he condemned the Jews for doing that. And he has other stands like these, for which he is remembered and thanked.

We can do nothing but ask Allaah Ta’aala to have mercy on him and reward him in accordance for the good he has done for humanity, and what he has left behind of righteous deeds, or good actions, and we send our condolences to the Christians in all the churches of the world, and to our friends in Rome, and to our friends in the Jam’iyyah Saint Tedio (I do not know what its English name is) in Rome, and we ask Allaah to compensate (for the death of the pope) the Christian nation with good.